Abe stood in the library, his heart heavy as he let the music wash over him. He hadn't meant to make Ariel angry with him, and when he had picked up the book she had been holding he had felt what she had been feeling, it made his heart twist painfully. Suddenly the door burst open and he had only moments to switch the music.
"Hello Red, you're up late!" Blue said hiding the CD behind his back.
"What are you listening to?" Red asked, slightly sloshed.
"Vivaldi. ''ll Cimiento Del'armonia''." Abe replied with a wave of his hand, trying to appear casual. "I particulary ..."
"What's that?" HB pointed behind Abe.
"It's just the remote." Abe held up the small remote. HB reached around him grabbing the CD from behind his back. "Oh, this? Yes, uh ..."
"Popular love songs?" Red looked from the CD case to Blue. "Oh, Abe. What did you do?"
"The Princess, she's like me, a creature from another world and I may have acted to…familiar with her." Abe sighed despondently. "I think I made Ariel mad and now she won't even speak to me."
"Abe, you have to go out more." Red shook his head, knowing that the merman would never do anything to hurt his sister on purpose. If HB had thought otherwise Abe would already be six feet in the ground. "You don't know anything about women."
"When I first saw Ariel, when she came into that room and got me away from those men, I thought I had never seen something so beautiful before." Abe said wistfully. "Of course I can't really remember much before that day, but I was alone in the world until her." Abe looked down at the CD case in his hands. "I need to be with her! I need to care for her!"
"You're in love!" Red stated obviously then held out a can. "Have a beer."
"No, my body is a temple ..." Abe shook his head holding up a hand.
"No, it's an amusement park." Red shot back.
"No, the glandular balance ..." Abe continued to argue.
"Shut up and drink it, would you?" Red shoved the drink into Abe's hands. "What track?"
"Eight." Abe sighed as he opened the can.
"''Can't smile without you''." Red shot him a look.
"I know!" Abe moaned.
"Yeah, I'm gonna need a beer too." Red opened another beer.
"See, I love this this song ...and I can't cry." Abe explained. "I think I have no tear ducts."
"I wish father were here." Red bemoaned. "He'd know what to tell you ... us."
-0-
"It's the last one." Abe said as he took the last six back out of the fridge, clearly as plaster as Red was.
"Look at her." Red said as he leaned next to the bed overlooking Liz and Ariel who had fallen asleep during their movie. "She is it. She's my whole life. You know?" Red glanced over to Abe who was starring lovingly at Ariel. "I would give my life for her." Red said then frowned. "But she also wants me to do the dishes."
"I would die ... and do the dishes." Abe said.
"Why is she mad at me?" HB asked. "It's not 'cause the room is dirty. Something else."
"Well, ask her then." Abe said.
"No." Red shook his head. "Listen, Abe ..."
"Yeah." Abe looked up at him.
"When a woman's mad about something, but she's really mad about something else... you can't ask because then they get angry, because you had to ask." Red explained. "Do you know what I mean?" Abe just blinked. "Never mind, don't answer the question. You gotta just …"
"Yeah." Abe prompted. Liz came to along with Ariel, both of them groggy as they came to realize they were not alone in the room.
"... find out." HB finished as Liz rolled her eyes.
"Listen, listen Red ...I know what's going on with Liz. Red ..." Abe started and Liz's eyes went wide.
"Abe!" Liz shot up in the bed, cutting Abe off.
"I am sorry, he has to know..." Abe tried.
"Abe!" Liz snapped again.
"Know what?" Ariel asked as she set up in the bed right before the alarms went off bathing the room in red light.
Ariel growled in annoyance grabbing her swords as she ran out of the room. Liz trying to get the inebriated Red and Blue to move it, but they were definitely impeded in their efforts, stumbling more than walking.
-0-
Ariel rounded the corner where guards were gathered outside the doors of the library guns ready. They made room for Ariel as she opened the doors to see Nuada holding a knife to Nuala's cheek. The guards poured in with Ariel who had her swords drawn.
"Let her go!" Ariel growled out.
"Stay back!" Nuada ordered just as Abe made it into the room.
"Abraham!" Nuala called out causing Ariel's tail to twitch in annoyance. "No, don't. He'll kill you."
"Princess?" Abe slurred quickly hiding the six pack of beer and throwing the can he had in hand over his shoulder.
"Abraham! So you went to him?" Nuada glared.
"No!" Nuala cried out.
"I will kill you, Abraham ...and anyone else if that is necessary." Nuada sliced Nuala's cheek causing a cut to appear on his cheek as well.
"Well ...Then why don't you just start with me? Your Royal Ass-ness!" Red sauntered into the room then promptly stumbled down the steps.
"And your weapon of choice?" Nuada questioned.
"Five fingered Mary." Red held up his stone fist.
"You move and I kill your Abraham first." Nuada warned Nuala as he made his way toward HB.
"Red, are you sure, you're still…" Ariel looked to him in concern.
"I'll be fine." Red approached the Prince who performed a series of impressive moves with his sword which lengthened into a spear.
"Ok, good luck." Ariel said dryly while red shot her a look.
"Red, you mustn't harm the prince." Abe warned.
"What?" Red looked back to him.
"If you hurt him, you hurt princess." Ariel clarified. "Duck!"
Red whirled around just in time to lean back barley avoiding the Prince's attack. He blocked another series of blows with his stone hand only to get sliced in the leg forcing him to one knee, the spear at his neck.
"Will you give me the crown piece?" Nuada questioned his sister.
"No." Nuala shook her head. Nuada forced Red to his feet, Red knocked the blade away only for Nuada to press his against the back of his neck. He deflected it again and was his in the stomach with the pummel of the spear. Red his the ground and once again had the blade at his neck.
"The piece!" He demanded.
"No." Nuala shook her head and the battle went on until HB was hit back landing on a desk braking it in half. Nuada followed up the attack at a rapid pace, Red barely being able to keep up. Once again he was hit to the ground landing in front of Abe.
"Abe?" Red whined as he got up looking to the blue man.
"Red, I am so sorry ..." Abe said.
"Red!" Called out as she pushed her way through the guards.
"Liz!" Red perked up.
"Right behind you!" Liz called out. Red turned just in time for Nuada to stab him.
"Red!" Ariel yelled.
"You may have mused in the past, am I mortal? You are now." Nuada pulled his spear from Red leaving the blade embedded in his chest as another took the place in the prince's spear.
"No!" Ariel charged at Nuada, her blades a blur as she engaged him in battle.
Nuada spun his blade deflecting her attack, falling back in his surprise at her sudden attack. He took a swipe at her forcing her to flip back receiving a cut to her arm, but she leapt forward giving him no time for recovery form his last attack. She was in a blind rage giving no care to the fact that hurting him hurt the princess, and maybe in some dark recess of her mind she didn't really care.
But luck it seemed was on the side of the prince and with a swipe of his spear her swords were knocked from her grasp and she found herself with the tip of the spear pointed at her neck with the Prince's arm wrapped around her holding her to his chest.
"Ariel, no, please let her go." Abe started forward, but a line of blood down Ariel's throat stopped him.
"Abe…" Ariel whimpered, looking form her brother cradled in Liz's arms and back to him, pleading with him to stay back and save him.
"Many people have died for this crown." Nuada said, his breath against Ariel's ear, much to close for her comfort standards. "And he will too. If you want to save him, and see her again…you'll find the missing piece, and bring it to me."
In a quick fluid movement he sheathed his spear as he grabbed his sister and with Ariel disappeared.